


Aleikum Salaam

by TheHeartOfTheStar



Series: Breathless Nights As This [4]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Freddie's birthday, Hand Feeding, M/M, Soft Boys, Soulmarks, Soulmates, indian traditions, poly!Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:03:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeartOfTheStar/pseuds/TheHeartOfTheStar
Summary: It's Freddie's first birthday after having found his soulmates.





	Aleikum Salaam

**Author's Note:**

> "Arguably the most practiced [Indian birthday rituals] is the feeding of the birthday cake. After 'Happy Birthday' is sung, the birthday girl or boy will cut into the cake first. They then will cut a small piece of cake and feed it to each guest by hand, usually starting with closest family members." From www.theculturetrip.com - 7 Unique Ways Birthdays are Celebrated in India.
> 
> Title taken from Mustapha by Queen

He cuts the cake in the even way he knows his mother prefers. When he’s done, he takes a slice and pours some sweet liquor over it, letting the cake soak up the flavor.

Freddie looks up at his soulmates from under his lashes and feels his heart pounding in his chest. His hands are shaking and he knows he’s blushing. He hadn’t expected to feel this nervous, but here he is, about to hand feed cake to his soulmates, all four of them, for the first time.

Kash had always said he was a hopeless romantic, and no one really got the excessively intricate hidden meanings in his demeanor. Maybe she was right, but Freddie loved the symbolism of this tradition. Anyway, he’s kept it up for long enough now that he’s not sure anymore where the actual ritual ends and his own added touches start.

So he goes to Roger first, who smiles brightly. His hair is significantly shorter than when they first met at that market, but he’s still got that mischievous glint in his eyes. Freddie lifts a bit of cake to Roger’s mouth, who takes it gracefully. He chews the bite with a smirk, and then gives the singer a playful wink when he swallows. Freddie chuckles in return.

Then, it’s Brian’s turn. Too tall Brian, who slouches a bit whenever they are at the Bulsara household, as if trying to make himself smaller. When he holds his hand up to feed the guitarist, he can see Brian’s cheeks reddening. Still, that’s the only visible sign of Brian’s anxiousness over this, as he takes the cake without blinking. He looks at Freddie coyly as he eats, and offers a small smile when he’s done.

John goes next, of course. When Freddie looks at him, he’s met by a reassuring gaze. The knots he didn’t notice were wound tightly in his chest lessen significantly. Everything will be alright, John’s got him. The bassist takes the offered bite and chews steadily, and Freddie feels his own smile tug at his lips.

Jim’s last. Freddie can feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and he has to look down for a second before he’s able to take a bit of the cake for his soulmate. His trembling fingers brush Jim’s lips when he feeds him the cake, and Freddie can feel his cheeks burning up in embarrassment. It’s like he’s never done this before. But Jim’s there for him, holding Fred’s arm steady with a warm hand in his elbow.

Jim doesn’t let go of Freddie as he leans in. _Happy birthday, love_, is whispered against his cheek in lieu of a kiss.

When he steps back, he looks at his four soulmates, feeling his heart warm up with the deepest love. He isn’t surprised to notice he’s crying. It’s alright, all babies cry when they are born. In a way, Freddie feels as if he’s being born today, the day he got to have all the pieces of his soul reunited.


End file.
